Chapter 3

The next day, Yang Bo got up early, folded up the simple bed, washed up a bit, locked the door, and went out.

The sky was still dim, it was only three in the morning. Yang Bo stepped on the moonlit ground, flashlight in hand, turned left into a small alley, and after walking for dozens of steps, he heard the bustling sounds inside. Beams of light were darting about.

The antique street where Gu Dezhai was located was very close to the Chaotian Palace antique market, only about two to three hundred meters away. Yang Bo had often visited the ghost market before, but back then he had no money and had never bought anything. This time, he brought all the two hundred yuan he had left this month!

This was a make-or-break moment. If his eyes had deceived him, there was nothing he could do!

For his father, he was willing to take the risk!

Although he had made up his mind, Yang Bo still searched cautiously. The ghost market was filled with a wide variety of items: porcelain, calligraphy, gold, silver, jade, Qin bricks, Han tiles, Song pebbles, snuff bottles, and even the heavy bronze vessels from the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods could be found here. As for their authenticity, that was entirely up to the buyer to determine!

Yang Bo knew his knowledge was limited, and he couldn't identify the value of many items, so he became even more cautious.

He walked from stall to stall, picking up items one by one. He didn't use his ability lightly because he didn't know how long it would last, but he guessed it wouldn't be very long. If he couldn't find a genuine item, he would be at a loss!

So, he decided to change his strategy!

Yang Bo stood up and began searching. Soon, he spotted a target: Curator Qu!

Qu Yuanyang was the deputy curator of the Jinling Museum and had visited Gu Dezhai a few times, so Yang Bo had some memory of him!

Yang Bo's eyes fixed on Curator Qu's figure, and he followed closely behind. He was going to use the tactic of closely following Curator Qu to find possible genuine items and then use his ability to authenticate them, thus saving the time of using his ability!

It was his first time doing such a tracking job, and Yang Bo still seemed a bit inexperienced. While keeping an eye on Curator Qu, he was also afraid of missing anything. He pretended to be picking up small items while paying attention to Curator Qu's actions.

Curator Qu picked up a snuff bottle, examined it for a long time, then put it down and looked at a pen washer, occasionally glancing at a few calligraphy pieces.

The random and seemingly patternless selection left Yang Bo somewhat at a loss, but he had enough patience. With so little money, if he wasted this chance, he would have to wait until next month. He couldn't afford to wait; early-stage liver cancer still had a chance of being treated, and every day of delay was a loss of hope!

Soon, Yang Bo noticed that Curator Qu had picked up a fish basket-shaped porcelain and examined it for a long time, looking somewhat hesitant.

Yang Bo's heart raced, and he followed closely, getting a bit closer. He squinted his eyes, and a faint glow seeped out from the porcelain, standing out even more in the darkness. The light gradually converged at the neck of the fish basket vase, forming a halo!

Yang Bo looked closely and was startled. This halo was even thicker than the one he had seen on the Daoguang famille-rose seven-treasure cup, meaning this fish basket vase was from before the Daoguang period!

After the initial joy, worry set in. Yang Bo was afraid that Curator Qu would buy it!

Standing next to Curator Qu, Yang Bo didn't dare to turn his head, just staring at the small jade piece in front of him. Only when Curator Qu left without a word did Yang Bo let out a sigh of relief and quickly pick up the porcelain.

The porcelain was shaped like a fish basket, with a light purple glaze that appeared uneven, looking like a defective piece. But Yang Bo hadn't learned for nothing over the past two years; he knew this was an imitation of a Song Dynasty Jun ware. Qing Dynasty imitations of Jun ware were most famous during the Yongzheng and Qianlong periods. Since it was from before the Daoguang period, even if it was from the Jiaqing period, it would still be a good deal. After examining it carefully and finding no other damage, Yang Bo felt relieved.

Yang Bo looked up at the stall owner, "Boss, how much for this?"

The stall owner was in his thirties, with a small beard on his chin and a sharp gaze. "Little brother, do you know who was looking at the porcelain before you?"

Yang Bo shook his head, "Who was it?"

The stall owner smiled, "Don't you recognize him? He's Curator Qu from the Jinling Museum!"

Yang Bo pretended not to understand, "Oh, really? How much for this porcelain?"

The stall owner stared at Yang Bo, trying to read his face, "Since Curator Qu has looked at it, the price will naturally go up. It was originally two thousand, but now it's worth four thousand!"

Yang Bo frowned. Although he had expected a price increase, he didn't think it would be so high. But this was likely a bluff!

"Fifty yuan!" Yang Bo countered.

"Little brother, that's a bit too low!" the stall owner said.

Yang Bo shook his head and said, "Boss, I've been coming here for a while. My old man wants me to find a couple of decorative items for the new house. Give me a fair price!"

The stall owner paused, "Eight hundred yuan!"

Yang Bo's heart leaped, knowing there was a chance of a deal, "One hundred yuan, no more!"

The stall owner sighed, "Small business, not much profit. It's my first day, so five hundred yuan!"

Yang Bo felt in his pocket; he didn't have that much money. He turned and said, "Still too expensive, I'll look elsewhere!"

As he turned to leave, his heart raced. He had to get this fish basket vase, and he was afraid his act was too convincing!

Counting down silently in his head, he hadn't even finished when he heard the stall owner's voice, "Little brother, give me a fair price!"

"One hundred and fifty yuan!"

"No, no! That's too low!" the stall owner refused.

Yang Bo didn't want to haggle too much, fearing it would lead to complications. He said, "Two hundred yuan! That's my final offer!"

"Deal!" the stall owner agreed after a moment's thought, adding, "It's my first day, so I'm giving you a good price for good luck!"

"Thanks, boss! I live nearby, I'll definitely come back often!" Yang Bo took out the money, picked up the fish basket vase, and felt an urgent need to move on!

Holding the fish basket vase carefully, Yang Bo was planning his next move. He had to sell it as soon as possible. He only had enough money for a couple more days of food, and if he couldn't sell it in time, he would go hungry. More importantly, this fish basket vase was crucial for his next plan!

"Hey, young man, wait a moment!" As Yang Bo was walking back, he heard someone calling him. He looked up and was startled to see Curator Qu standing in front of him, smiling at the fish basket vase in his arms!

Yang Bo instinctively hugged the fish basket vase tighter!